A mum who was caught driving while more than twice the legal booze limit told magistrates it was 'bulls**t' when they banned her from the road.
Laura Louise Mulligan, from Urmston, argued in court that she should keep her licence, claiming she had been attacked by some 'friends' and was trying to get away when she was pulled over by officers in Bolton on Halloween last year.
Mulligan, 28, admitted a charge of drink driving after telling police at the scene she had drunk 'two glasses of wine and maybe four vodkas'.
But she appeared at Manchester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday for a special hearing, where the bench ultimately refused her argument to stay on the roads.
After their decision was made, she sobbed, threw her items into her bag and told the magistrates it was 'bull***t'.
Mulligan had claimed that, after a night out with pals, she had gone back to one of their houses in Little Hulton to stay the night but things turned nasty.
The court heard they got into a fight and her friend punched her in the face, leaving her with a bloody lip.
The defendant, representing herself in court, claimed she then got in her car to move it around the corner so her friend wouldn't think she was there.
Police then pulled her over on Manchester Road East, Little Hulton, where they found she had 89mg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mg.
Prosecuting, Laura Keegan argued that police bodycam footage showed no blood on Mulligan, and that there were other options than getting behind the wheel.
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Magistrate Mr Durkin said: "You made a very bad decision, you shouldn't have got in the car."
He then handed her a 17-month driving ban.
Representing herself in court, Mulligan said: "Basically I was on a night out in Bolton . I'm not from Bolton so I do not know the area. I had gone back to my friend's house, I'd had a drink and had a really good night.
"When we went back to my friend's, she attacked me. I had a punch to the face and I sort of just blacked out. I tried to defend myself.
"There was one of her friends who joined in so I had two of them beating me up. Everything was all over the place, I was then told if I did not leave her flat then she would get a knife.
"My car was parked outside her window. Obviously I had nowhere to go because I do not live there, and I had no charge in my phone.
"It was half five in the morning, where was nothing open or me to run to for safety. I knew that if I just pulled up on the road it would look like I had gone.
"I have a little boy who is six and I am on my own with him and I just thought of him - if the car was there they might have come out and thought I was still there, but if I moved my car I am safe.
"I do not see that there was anything else for me to do, that is the only thing I could possibly have done. When I left I only had one flip flop and left the house in my pyjamas.
"I understand how stupid it was to get in that vehicle when I had had a drink.
"I have never been in trouble with the police before, I have never even gone through a red light. But seeing the police it was quite a relief to think, god, there is someone here, I am safe.
"I was petrified of what would have happened. All that was going through my head was my boy."
Prosecuting, Ms Keegan showed the court the bodycam footage from when the officer pulled over Mulligan.
It showed her very distressed and sobbing in the car as she explained to them what happened. The officers had to ask her three times for a breath test.
In the footage, Mulligan told the officers "She told me to leave. I thought right, she's going to think I've gone if I go in my car, she's going to think I've gone and maybe she might worry about me."
She also repeatedly said she was aware she was over the limit.
When asked by an officer how much she had to drink, she responded: "Two glasses of wine before I left home then maybe four vodkas."
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Ms Keegan said: "In relation to the body cam footage, you seem to say that your friend told you to leave, but then you say you decided to leave?
She added: "So if she has not come outdoors, there is no immediate threat to you. You could have sat there in your car and charged your phone.
"With the body cam footage, there is no blood on it. Your lip looks fine on the video. Where is the blood on your white top, is it because it wasn't there?"
Mulligan could not point out any blood on her on the bodycam footage, but added: "I know there was blood on my top."
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Ms Keegan added: "What I am going to say to you is maybe you started that fight and maybe you decided to leave that address.
"You drove round one corner, up one road and then around another corner.
"You could have just gone round the corner and parked there - were you heading home? I am suggesting that there is plenty of space just around the corner where you could have parked.
"Even if you were not driving home, there were other options available to you - like knocking on a neighbour's door. If you were going to move the car, there are closer spaces.
"You say that you need your glasses because you can't see, and you didn't have them. That is even more of a danger when driving more than a couple of yards."
Sentencing Mulligan, Chairman of the bench Mr Durkin said: "We believe you drove the car further than you needed. You could have approached or knocked on a neighbour's door or considered locking your door and charging your phone.
"We therefore find there are no special reasons why you should not be disqualified."
Arguing with the magistrates, Mulligan said: "I am going to lose my job, I am going to lose my house, I am going to lose everything."
Mr Durkin interrupted, saying: "It must be very distressing but that is our decision.
"You made a very bad decision. You could have put others at risk. You should have not got in the car."
Mulligan received a driving ban of 17 months, which can be reduced by 25 per cent if she attends a drink driving course.
She was also ordered to pay £353 in court fees and £200 in prosecution charges.
Crying and throwing her items into her bag, Mulligan, of Albert Avenue, Urmston , said loudly that the decision was 'bulls**t' before leaving the court.
